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Like one of
those all-powerful entities from Sci-Fi movies of the past, sometimes a
monster edtech trend appears spontaneously, coalescing from a
collection of basic elements and just waiting for a chance to challenge
the status quo. Or so it seemed to me as I viewed a very impressive body
of Maker-learning resources found throughout the recent 2017 FETC Expo
in Orlando. As I explored the exhibitor floor, it became clear that all
the exciting maker stuff there was coalescing into an edtech juggernaut,
one that will continue to make a major impact in the character of
learning.

It is up to the teacher and his or her understanding of creative
processes and how to foster and spark student creativity that makes the
greatest impact on whether or not Maker-based Learning experiences will
be the very rich and hyper-relevant instruction that today’s students
need.

When one considers the bountiful body of available Maker resources
and what they make possible for today’s students, what comes into focus
is a very uplifting vision of a transformed school experience. And, as
things displayed at this year’s FETC attest, it’s a vision that’s
good-to-go right now. Truly, there’s a very impressive body of
affordable and practically implementable things waiting to make the
concept of Maker-based Learning come alive in our schools.

There were too many items on the floor to describe them all here. And
in fact, some, like the Little Bits electronic construction kits and
the Makerbot 3D Printer are already well known, popular, and making a
difference in the sort of learning experience schools now offer.
What follows here though, are some resources and the important ideas
behind them I came across that I think are truly worth making note of
and that I think readers would do well to follow up on, consider
acquiring and putting them to good purpose in classrooms.

Tinker Table
As I wandered the exhibit floor, I was attracted to the buzz of
excited, joyful activity at a ‘Tinker Table’ where dozens of teachers
took advantage of mountains of freely offered supplies to spontaneously
create items powered by miniature electronic components. This hub of
inspiration powerfully demonstrated the potential Maker Resources
represent to breathe fresh life into teaching and learning. The Tinker
Table was part of the display area of United Data Technologies (UDT).
Chief Technology Officer Danny Rodriguez explained to me that UDT
provides an array of Maker oriented tech resources to schools, helping
them select appropriate and effective resources and supporting them in
managing and implementing them. My takeaway? Maker-based Learning can
provide excitement and spontaneous expression-fueled learning – it
offers high student engagement driven by opportunities for discovery,
reflection, and hands-on learning in action. It was great to see a large
gaggle of teachers modeling and living all this at the very center of
the exhibit.

Meaningful Making
For me, a crucial issue in the whole Maker-based Learning
conversation has to do with the goals and hoped for outcomes of Maker
experiences in our schools. Above all, while we do want schools to adopt
this approach, we want them to do it for the right reasons, hopefully
even discover some reasons of their own that are consistent with and
extend their understanding and commitment to 21st-century learning. What I mean is, good
reasons for supporting students in making things with the components
and resources we provide them, reasons that reflect another stage in
achieving meaningful learning and not simply adopt Making as an attempt
to stay in step with something that’s currently all-the-buzz—without
aligning these au courant efforts to our highest educational goals and aspirations.

A further key question is, as Makers, do we want students to simply
follow directions to replicate creations that others before them have
already designed and proven can be assembled from parts provided? Or, do
we want to them to shift their focus to the way humans meet their needs
with machines, devices, and constructed inventions; identify and
address a need on their own, and go through the rich, enlightening
process of conceiving, prototyping, and refining creations of their own
design?

And yes, there certainly is much value to be had from the former,
there’s a good deal of math and science involved and making things is,
indeed, a very good way to learn them. The second approach, though, the
one in which deep understanding of the phenomenon of technology is
understood, and student creativity is sparked, unleashed, focused and
learned is so much more of what today’s kids truly need.

The good news is that, to one degree or another, pretty much all of
the Maker resources that I reviewed and explored at the expo provide the
opportunity for both sides of this equation, obviously some more than
others. I walked away, more than ever though, understanding that so
often it is up to the teacher and his or her understanding of creative
processes and how to foster and spark student creativity that makes the
greatest impact on whether or not Maker-based Learning experiences will
be the very rich and hyper-relevant instruction that today’s students
need.

Electronics Kits
When they think of Making, many conjure up images of circuits,
processers, power units, connected lights, motors, probes, and the like.
These were offered in the highly usable format of kits made fully ready
and accessible for students. I saw several of these highly worthy of
mention. In fact despite my jaded sensibilities, the result of years of
reviewing edtech resources, I found myself broadly smiling, even on the
verge of cheering at just how right some of their providers had gotten
them.

A few I’d like to mention are:
The soon-to-be-released Microduinokit
offers components that are neatly stackable and that adhere to one
another magnetically. Very neat and it’s easy to see that these
components might be reused endlessly as part of a great many learning
projects. The little Arduino processor that the gentleman at the booth
showed me was well encased in a plastic frame making it safe to touch,
easy to handle, and very easy to integrate into all sorts of machines
that student inventors might come up with. I love the magnetic
components and plug and unplug electronic cables that obviate other,
more difficult and potentially hazardous ways of connecting components.

I fell in love with Sparkfun’s new Lillypad Sewable Electronics Kit
right away. This kit’s cover shows a photo of a small group of young
girls working on technology projects together. Seems to me to be
(importantly) girl oriented, we need to encourage girls to take
ownership of technology as their natural instincts and passions may
dictate. Along with the now well known, Makey Makey and others, this kit
was featured at the Sparkfun booth, nicely broadening the array of
wonderful possibilities that the Maker Niche offers learners in need of
hands-on, minds-on engagement.

The Piperkit
got a big smile from me when I came across it at the booth. Kids
construct a computer from its essential components and elements,
including a cool looking wooden case that houses the computer and the
parts and tools with which it is constructed. According to the rep
manning the booth, as soon as students get enough assembled so that the
small display is activated, the computer itself provides video
instruction on how to build it out further until it is complete and does
much of what one would expect from any computer these days. This could
help a school establish a great segment of a technology education
program. I was left wondering though about open-ended projects that
students might do beyond creating the computer.

3D Printers MakerBot,
the first 3D Printer that many of us ever saw or even heard about, was
widely represented at the booths of several re-sellers as well as at its
own. This item bridges the gap between learning about making things,
and actually making them. Currently, manufacturing involves the use of
computer technology to aid in the research, design, and in the actual
fabrication of so much. Computers drive robots and machines of all
types. MakerBot paved the way, or at least a good part of it, with its
affordable, easy to comprehend and use 3D Printer. Anyone still not
aware of these wonderful little devices and their history and
significance should check out the (YouTube available) video Print the
Legend t which explores the growth of the 3D printing industry, with
focus on Startup companies like MakerBot.

In a related vein, what I found remarkable at AP Lazer’s
booth is that they were showing a commercial grade, industrial laser
engraving machine. I chatted with one of the reps there who explained
that they are just beginning to place these in schools, that is, beyond
technical schools where one might reasonably expect to find such things.
In fact, I was informed that this company had placed one recently in a
middle school. This is really quite something, because following the
logic of Maker-based Learning; the advantage is for the student to
produce a real ‘something’ in the real world. This item though, elevates
this prospect from producing a small plastic thingie that sort of
resembles an authentic artifact to something with a very strong presence
in the real world. I was shown beautifully etched items with designs
laser cut into wood and stone. Some schools just may want to consider
this.

Virtual Making
If Maker-based Learning is about creating things, it’s things that
kids make as an expression of their focused experimentation and their
application of thinking skills. If their making is a response to
challenges and issues they identify in the real world as well as those
they imagine, then why wouldn’t “Virtual Making” be an effective and
exciting part of this?

Actually, the folks at Tynker, a
popular resource to support student learning about and applications of
Coding, understand that well and have placed on their website an answer
to that question:
“Coding is the Language of Creativity – Learning to code at a young
age isn’t just about becoming a programmer—coding is a creative outlet, a
way to challenge yourself, a collaboration tool, and a new way to
interact with your digital world. And that’s exactly what we’ve seen
from the Tynker community. Kids are creating incredible games and
stories, they’re learning from each other, and they’re pushing
themselves to create projects they’re truly proud of.”

This orientation, and things to implement it well with students, was much evident at the Tynker booth.

Making Crosses Over to Robotics
Interestingly, while there were many Maker resource booths to visit,
and there was a similar number of robotics resources on exhibit, there
were a few that also spoke to the crossover between the two realms of
tech-supported learning, an opportunity that I think is important and
needs to be expanded.
Sphero is already quite well known for its student robots.
Interestingly, these are not in that niche of resources that call for
students to construct their own robot. SPHERO is one of those that comes
already assembled, encouraging students to learn coding by programming
it. At the booth at FETC, though, there was an intriguing interactive
exhibit in which a SPHERO robot was used as the power for a more
elaborate robot in which it was mounted, thus making it something of an
engine. I love clever adaptations of robotics materials like this. I
hope to see Sphero expand its line of robots and its applications of
them as learning resources. This display pointed out new possibilities
and new aspects of technology for student discovery and inspiration,
something that, in my mind, was emblematic of the whole of the FETC 2017
Expo.
—Mark Gura is an Advisory Board Member and Contributing Editor at EdTech Digest and the author of the recently released book, Make, Learn, Succeed: Building a Culture of Creativity in Your School published by ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education).